Recommendation 3

HM Government Deferred

Youth Hubs are run in partnership with, and are hosted in the premises of, partner organisations. Where appropriate, partners can submit a grant application to receive funding to support the operational running of a Youth Hub. However, not all Youth Hubs are supported by grant funding and others will have identified alternative funding, such as Community Renewal Funds, to establish Hubs. The Youth Offer is subject to a Process Evaluation, with full findings expected by late 2023. The evaluation plans involve hearing from young people from a range of backgrounds and circumstances, and those that work with them, on the services they receive via Youth Hubs and jobcentres to understand their effectiveness and enable us to make improvements as appropriate. There are plans for an impact assessment of the effectiveness of the Youth Offer. The findings of both evaluations will inform any improvements or future changes to the Youth Offer policy and will be shared internally with those involved in the delivery of the Youth Offer. Early in the development of Youth Hubs we engaged with West Midlands Combined Authority and Impetus in their development of a Blueprint for Hubs. Internally we have regular Youth Steering Group meetings, with colleagues from across service delivery, to support sharing of best practice, identification of areas for improvement and discussions on future Youth Hub strategy. Where appropriate we have also attended Youth Hub networks led by external partners to hear feedback and learn about best practice in terms of supporting young people across the country. Conclusion and recommendation 5 We welcome the joint DWP and the DHSC Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) initiative that has tried out embedding employment support in mental health services for mild to moderate mental health conditions. The Department should work with devolved administrations to roll out IPSPCs more widely so that this service is available across the country. DWP should also consider how NHS integrated care systems can provide employment support to people with other long-term health conditions, along with mental health. (Paragraph 53) Response The Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) programme, a Supported Employment model (place, train and maintain) delivered in health settings, is already aimed at people with physical health conditions as well as common mental health conditions to support them to access paid jobs in the open labour market. IPSPC is the first phase of the DWP’s Universal Support employment programme, announced in the Spring Budget. IPSPC services began in April 2023 and have since been extended to support over 25,000 disabled people in 41 top tier local authorities in England find and stay in work, by March 2025. The learning from IPSPC will inform the design and delivery of Universal Support (Phase 2) which will be introduced nationally from 2024. It is one of the models developed by the DWP and DHSC Joint Work & Health Directorate (JWHD) which was set up in 2015 in recognition of the significant link between work and health and to reflect the shared agenda of boosting employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions. Our provision includes a range of other initiatives delivered in partnership with DWP and the health system, including: • Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies, which combines psychological treatment and employment support for people with mental health conditions. • Working with partners to support healthcare professionals and non-clinical staff to improve work and health outcomes for patients. For example, we have extended the certification of fit notes to a wider range of health care professionals, enabling better conversations about work and health. Spring Budget 2023 announced a further wide- reaching package focused on faster access to joined-up work and health support. New investment includes support for: • Piloting the WorkWell Partnerships Programme (WWPP) to provide integrated work and health support for disabled people and people with health conditions who want help to remain in, return to or take up work. WWPP will be locally led, bringing together the NHS, local authorities and other partners, in collaboration with jobcentres, to design and deliver integrated work and health support. • Introducing Employment Advisors (EAs) in Musculoskeletal Conditions (MSK) services in England, helping individuals with MSK conditions to return to or remain in employment. Since health is a devolved matter, some of these initiatives apply only in England. We do however share expertise with the Devolved Administrations and explore opportunities to ensure evidence-based models are available more widely. In Scotland for example the IPS model has been built into their Fair Start Scotland programme and they have recently published a review: Fair Start Scotland - individual placement and support review: findings - gov.scot (www.g